The present invention relates to updating a control program in a vending machine which sells a variety of goods or products, and more particularly to a system for rewriting the control program.
In the prior art, a vending machine of the type has a vending machine control device which comprises a storage unit for storing a control program, an arithmetic and logic unit for executing the control program, and an interface portion for interfacing with a variety of equipment. The control device controls operation of the vending machine by the arithmetic and logic unit executing the control program stored in the storage unit. Here, a read-only memory (ROM), which is a nonvolatile memory, is used as the storage unit for storing the control program. As equipment connected to the interface portion, there is a set of goods selection buttons for permitting a customer to input a purchase request of a desired goods by touching a corresponding one of the buttons, a display device for displaying prices and other information, a compressor, a fan and others in a refrigerating system, and a remote controller for permitting a manager to control the vending machine by operating the controller.
After selling vending machines of the type described in the vending machine market, each having a current one of the control program in the storage unit, there is often a case in which a new version of the control program is developed due to, for example, modifications in the remote controller operating method, and becomes available. In other words, the version of the control program is upgraded. In the conventional control device, since the ROM which is a nonvolatile memory is used as the storage unit, the ROM must be replaced from one storing a current version of the control program to another storing a new version of the control program each time the version of the control program is upgraded. However, since the replacement of ROM for many vending machines requires much time and labor and is extremely troublesome, it has a problem as a method for updating the control program.
Accordingly, there has been a proposal to use an electrically rewritable erasable programmable ROM (EP-ROM) as the storage unit, and to store a rewrite program together with the current control program. According to the proposal, the current one of the control program in the EP-ROM can be rewritten, under the control of the rewrite program, to the new version of the control program by connecting the control device to a memory card having the new version stored therein, or to a floppy disk drive (FDD) for driving a floppy disk storing the new version of the control program. The proposal can considerably reduce the time and trouble required to update the version of the control program. However, it is not yet resolved a worker must travel to installation sites of vending machines scattered in various locations in order to connect a memory card or FDD each time the version of the control program version is upgraded.
Further, in a case in which the price of one of goods being sold is changed, or a new goods is intended be sold, the control program must be changed in all of used vending machines at once and at the almost same time. However, it is extremely difficult to perform this work for all used vending machines in a limited amount of time.